From March 16 to July 1

March 16 was the day I tore my bicep. I was planning my return to strongman and started to do Saturday event work with Matt Dawson (ASC pro and a great guy). On the last set of tire flips, my left distal tendon ripped off.

It could not have happened at a worse time for me both mentally and physically.

Surgery, feelings of dread, rehab, starting with 2 pound curls, progressing, modifying my entire workout to fit around the restraint of a brace and having to go light.

Losing shoulder mobility on the left side, all sorts of issues happen which are expected.

Frustration, second guessing, anger… when you live in the gym and its a part of you, any setback will be met with those thoughts.

Now tonight is the last PT appointment. I am progressing quickly, quicker than the PT expected because of my relentless drive and work in fixing this.

For my rehab on my arm, I took Paul Carter’s advice and used 5-8 pound dumbbells and did a shitload of volume on it. 100 curls, 100 hammer curls and 100 side laterals two times a day. Blood rushing to the injured area means faster healing time.

That combined with my excellent PT staff at the Cleveland Clinic who not only worked on my left bicep, but also worked with me in regaining mobility in my entire upper body. They were more than PT’s in this respect, they wanted me back better than before and I have no doubt in my mind I will be.

So July 1st marks the end of the official era in my injury, I will not be back at full strength, but I will be well on my way to being better than I was.